Woman filmed fatally stabbing man with kitchen knife, prosecutor says

Syracuse, NY – A Syracuse woman was caught on video fatally stabbing a 23-year-old man with a kitchen knife, a prosecutor said Wednesday.

On Sunday evening, cameras captured Ashley Roche, 22, acting “aggressively” toward Jahliek Stewart for about two hours, prosecutor Alphonse Williams said during his arraignment Wednesday.

She is seen entering her home to retrieve a kitchen knife before returning outside and stabbing Stewart once in the abdomen, Williams said. She then returned home calmly, he said.

She is charged with second-degree manslaughter and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon, according to a criminal complaint filed in Syracuse Municipal Court.

Williams told the court the incident began when Stewart and another woman had an argument outside. Roche then inserted herself into a situation that had nothing to do with her, Williams said.

The other woman present tried to defuse the situation and did not understand why Roche had engaged in the conversation, Williams said. He said there was no evidence that Stewart was armed or that Roche acted in self-defense.

Stewart was stabbed once and taken to Upstate University Hospital in critical condition. He died Monday from his injuries.

Roche turned herself in to police on Tuesday.

Roche’s defense attorney told the court the woman had just turned 22 and had no criminal history. The lawyer also told the court she was only accused of stabbing the victim once rather than carrying out a prolonged attack.

Judge Felicia Pitts Davis said while she understood Roche was young and had no criminal history, she could not ignore the seriousness of the allegations. She set bail at $75,000 cash, $150,000 surety and $250,000 partially secured bond.

Roche is due to appear in court again on July 1.

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